


The Return

by scarecrowstories



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-03-01 01:32:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18790306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarecrowstories/pseuds/scarecrowstories
Summary: Lucretia handles seeing Taako, Magnus, and Merle again for the first time in ten years when they arrive at the Bureau. A short reflective ficlet on that.





	The Return

**Author's Note:**

> Now I know what you're thinking. "Scarecrow why do you keep posting sad ficlets?" Simple. This is cathartic for me because I cry like a baby while writing it and then I feel better about my own garbage life. But I am absolutely working on happy stuff too I promise!!

Lucretia slumped into her desk chair as soon as she could and let her tears flow freely. Seeing the faces of her dearest friends was a moment she held in her heart as something that would happen in the future, and now that it had happened she felt the weight of their shared past crushing her. It was difficult to breathe, let alone think of anything other than what she'd done to them.

Magnus was the only one who had visibly aged, no longer the eternal boy she spent a century with; she recognized him instantly in spite of how much more mature he looked. He still looked like someone with an unquenchable love in his heart, his eyes glinting mischievously. This was the man who once spent an entire year pranking them, but also the man who gave up his life without a thought to protect those he cared about. 

Merle was the same as always, a constant which she welcomed. He still kept flowers in his beard and looked vaguely unwashed. Perhaps the only difference was that he'd put on a bit of weight, but with how gaunt they'd all become in the face of their atrocities she was happy to see him back to his old self, even if just superficially. 

But Taako…

The moment she saw the umbra staff in his hands she almost broke, her composure nearly shattering when he said he'd found it on a corpse. He had no idea what he was holding or whose hand had crafted it, happily offering it up to her for closer inspection. It took all of her willpower not to cry; Lup was dead after all. Of course she had assumed as much when she hadn't returned, but to receive confirmation in such a manner felt cruel.

It wasn't that Taako seemed to be missing something without Lup - Lucretia had grown to love and appreciate them both separately in all their uniqueness. In fact, that was precisely the problem. He had no idea what was missing, and so was the same Taako she'd always known him to be. His ignorance pained her more profoundly than she'd thought possible. 

She let her head fall onto her arms, making no attempt to stifle the sobs wracking her to her core. It wasn't entirely sadness that she felt; there was certainly that, at the direct confrontation of what she had done. But seeing the faces of her family after so long felt like her soul had come home, even though without Barry and Lup that homecoming was incomplete.

At that moment there was a knock at her office door, causing her to shoot straight up in her seat. She hastily wiped away her tears and cleared her throat. A moment later the door opened to reveal Davenport, the sight of whom nearly caused Lucretia to break down again. He closed the door behind himself and walked up to her desk, an odd look in his eyes. There were times where he would say something that reminded Lucretia of just how much she'd taken from him, even though he inevitably forgot again a moment later.

"Oh, hello, Davenport," she greeted, fighting to keep her tone level. "It was nice to meet those new boys, wasn't it?" Was it cruel of her to test the waters this way? She desperately wanted to talk to him about it with the gravity it was due, but knew that was ill-advised.

"Lucretia," he said with confidence. He appeared deep in thought for a few moments. "I'm Davenport," he asserted. For a second it seemed like he was going to say something profound; Lucretia's throat tightened in nervousness. "I--" His eyes emptied again, a vacant smile on his face. "Davenport."

Though it hurt, she smiled back. "It's okay." She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I promised I'd make it okay." When he stared blankly back at her, she sighed and sat back down. "If there is nothing else I can do for you at the moment, Davenport, I urge you to return to your quarters for the night. Please." She hated how much it sounded like begging.

"Davenport."

As soon as the door closed and she was alone again, Lucretia looked up at the portrait hanging above her desk and wept. She would keep her promise no matter what it took. She couldn’t bring back Barry or Lup, but she would make things right. They deserved that much.


End file.
